Program provides new parents mental health care, social services

NEW YORK - First-time parents in New York City will be entitled to up to six home visits from a health care of social services professional under a program announced Wednesday.

The $43 million initiative will match families with mental health services and other supports, first lady Chirlane McCray said.

“All parents in our city should have the support they need at the start of their most important journey, and we are taking an exciting new step to make that happen,” McCray said. “Home visits are proven to strengthen bonds between parents and their babies, lower the risk for maternal anxiety and depression, and support healthy brain development during a crucial time."

The program will start as a $9 million effort in Brooklyn before reaching the rest of the city by 2024, officials said.

The American Psychological Association estimates that up to 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression or worse after giving birth.